Driving mechanism for timepieces in vehicles



Nov. 18, 1952 z. MAAR 2,618,117

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR TIMEPIECES IN VEHICLES Filed Jan. 25, 1947 INVENTOR Zvanko #716 i Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED PATENT OFFICE DRIVING 'MECHANISM FORTIMEPIECES IN VEHICLES vZvonko Maar, Rome, Italy Application January 25, 1947, Serial No. 724,403 lIn' Switzerland January 13, 1947 transmittingmeansconnected to said pendulum -which are adapted to act uponthe winding-up dcvice ofa,watc h, apparatus, or the like, in order windup its main or drawing, spring subsequent to swinging or driving. motion of said pendulum.

Other obj ects and features of novelty willbe :Qapparent from: the followhigs ecification when read in connection with theaccompanying drawing in which twopreferredembodimentsotthe invention are illustrated byway of example.

, In thedrawing:

Figure L is a, sectionalelevation of .a first embodiment of a driving mechanism according to the present invention.

. Figure 2 is a plan View to Fig.v l.

, FigureBis asectional elevation of a second em- 3 ,bodiment of the driving mechanism.

Figure 4 is a front viewof va motor carsteering wheelhavine a wat h. attached thereto.

Eigureh is a lateral elevationpartly in section,

, Figure 6,. Shows an enlarged 1 section across a spoke of the steering wheel and the casingeb tached thereto, containing the watch and its automatic driving mechanism.

The driving mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is mounted on a frame I having a circular. pening wherein is located a substantially semispherical bearing cup 2 which has a central bottom opening-3. This cup 2 contains three ball bearing rings 4 which are arranged aboveonean- :other and applied on their outer sidetothein- ;--ner cupsurface. A piece it having theform of :a; segment of a sphere is turnably supported in the middle of these ball bearing rings =4 and has a central hole Eithrough which extends a rod "1 which is. connected to the piecev 5 at the center 8 of the spherical bearing surfaces. The rod 1 carries at its lower end swingable weight means in the form of a pendulum bob 3 and extends upward beyond piece 5, the upper end having formed thereon a ballshaped of a ball and socket joint 1, by the intermediary only one thereof will operate.

head constituting-eapart of which a click It is articulated. thereto. This click II] engages a ratchet wheel I I turning with theaxle l2 of abarrel 13 which contains the main or drawing spring of a'wa-tch or other time piece. This drawing spring (not shown) has spiral form and is-secured with its inner, end to theaxle [2, while the other end. is attached to the barrel [3 which is provided witha toothed rim l5 engaging'a pinion of the time piece to be driven and thus transmitting the rotation upon the same. The pendulum 8 must substantially swing in perpendicular plane relative to, the axle l 2 of, the ratchet wheel I l that the click I9 drives the latter by steps. However, on account of: its

suspension and of the impulses acting. thereon, ,the pendulum. may swing parallelly to the axle I2, in which case no driving step will beachievedby click H). To drive ratchet-wheel levenw-hen the pendulum swings parallelly to axle |2,,- a; rod I6 is connected with one end to the. pendulum rod .7 and engages with its other end. aslot, ofone arm I! of .an angular lever whichisturnable about a vertical pin it. The-other arm. l9.-of this lever is articulated to a click 28 which engages the same ratchet wheel ll. This systemof rods or driving mechanism transmits. oscillations of the, pendulum in any direction and of. different amplitudes as driving steps upon the ratchet wheel, whereby, according to the direction-of the pendulum oscillations at the time, both clicks or Shock absorbing stops maybe provided on the insideof, the casing .24 containing the pendulum in order to limit the amplitudes of the latter.

A ring 2a is secured on the bearing cupZ, which narrows the. upper opening, to prevent the. pendulum from leaving with its piece 5, the bearing, when intensive. shocks occur. Where, it.is.desirable that the watch or'like apparatusis-also going, when the vehicle is notused I'ona certain time, there may be provided a hand windingdevice on the watch besides the. self acting; pendulum mechanism which will periorm .I further winding-up as soon as the vehicleis used. .A pawl 23 is pivotally mounted to engage ratchet wheel I I for preventing the latterfrom. rotating backwardunder the action of the tensioned drawing spring. Of course, there is no needoi .a particular barrel iii in the described driving mechanism, as he clicks actuated by the pendulum may directly act upon a ratchet wheel and barrel of the watch or apparatus to be driven.

The described driving mechanism is enclosed in a casing 24 which protects the same. This casing may be secured at any place to the vehicle or a part thereof and will be submitted to the movements and vibrations of that place, which set the pendulum in motion. A watch, for instance, may be combined with this pendulum mechanism and attached to a spoke of the steering wheel of a motor car (Figs. 4 and 5).

The pendulum receives then, besides the ordinary shocks caused by the movement of the motor car, additional impulses through the rocking of the steering wheel. Moreover, it may be very useful that the car driver has constantly a watch in front without being compelled to make other physical movements than to look on the steering wheel. The watch may be detachably pushed on the steering wheel.

In a second embodiment of the invention, shown in Fig. 3, the pendulum 9 is again suspended by means of a semi-spherical piece 5 in the spherical bearing cup 2 on ball bearing rings and is adapted to swing universally in any direction. A disc 25 is secured on said semispherical piece 5, having an upwardly bent rim which is connected by a plurality of regularly spaced pulling strings to a vertically guided click 28 which is resiliently held in engagement with a ratchet wheel 3| by means of pulling springs 30 acting on the horizontally slidable guideways 29 of the click 28. The shaft 32 of the ratchet wheel 31 may be coupled with the barrel of a watch or other apparatus.

Fig. 6 shows a section through a spoke 34 of the steering wheel of a motor car, having a watch and pendulum mechanism attached thereto. The casing 35 may be detachably pushed from oneside on the spoke 34 and secured in its position by means of a strap 31 which is hinged to the casing at 36 and carries a rubber piece 38 which will be pressed against the spoke, when the strap 31 is locked to the casing at 39, while the three other walls of the slit are rigid. The watch or clock 42 is located on the front of the casing and a shaft 40 extends therefrom to the pendulum mechanism 4 I, which is located behind the spoke and winds up the watch movement. The whole apparatus may thus temporarily be removed from its place.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a step-by-step winding mechanism for clocks and like timepieces mounted on the steering wheel of an automotive vehicle; a pendulum rod, a pendulum weight at one end of said rod, a pawl carried by the other end of said rod, a ratchet wheel, said pawl being operatively connected to and adapted to actuate said ratchet wheel, and ball bearing means through which said pendulum rod extends, and an element to which said pendulum rod is fixed and adapted to swing about said ball bearing means whereby said pendulum rod may swing in a direction perpendicular to the axis of said ratchet wheel as.

well as parallel to the plane of said axis so that oscillations imparted to said pendulum weight by vibrations of said vehicle and by movements of said steering wheel in any direction and of different amplitude may thus be transmitted to said ratchet wheel for winding said timepiece.

2. A step-by-step winding mechanism for a clock having a winding-up device, comprising a ratchet wheel rotatable about a first axis and adapted to be operatively connected to said winding-up mechanism of the clock, a weighted pendulum rod, bearing means swingably mounting said rod for universal movement, first pawl means operatively connected to said rod and engaging said ratchet wheel for imparting a stepby-step movement to the latter in response to movement of said rod in a direction normal to said first axis, a bell crank mounted for pivotal movement about a second axis substantially perpendicular to said first axis, linkage means connecting said rod to said bell crank for pivoting the latter about said second axis in response to movement of said rod in a direction parallel to said first axis, and second pawl means operatively connected to said bell crank and engaging said ratchet wheel for imparting a step-by-step movement to the latter in response to pivotal movement of said bell crank.

3. A step-by-step winding mechanism according to claim 2, including ball and socket means for operatively connecting said first pawl to said rod.

4. A step-by-stepwinding mechanism according to claim 2, including means for mounting said mechanism on the steering wheel of a vehicle at a location spaced outwardly of the center of the steering wheeel.

5. The combination, in an automotive vehicle, of a steering wheel, and a clock mechanism including a winding-up device mounted on said wheel, with a winding means for said clock mechanism operable in response to movement of said steering wheel, said winding means including a ratchet wheel rotatable about a first axis and operatively connected to said wind-up device of said clock mechanism, a support, a weighted pendulum mounted on said support for universal movement, a first pawl engaging said ratchet wheel and actuatable to impart a step-by-step movement to said ratchet wheel, universal means connecting said first pawl to said pendulum for actuating said first pawl in response to the component of said universal movement normal to said first axis, a lever mounted on said support for pivotal movement about a second axis substantially perpendicular to said first axis, means operatively connecting said lever to said pendulum for pivotal movement in response to the component of said universal movement parallel to said first axis, and a second pawl operatively connected to said lever and engaging said ratchet wheel for imparting a step-by-step movement to the latter in response to pivotal movement of said lever.

ZVONKO MAAR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,332,870 Gill Mar. 2, 1920 1,340,013 Canale et a1 May 11, 1920 1,435,003 Harris Nov. 7, 1922 1,655,074 Sharples Jan. 3, 1928 1,794,622 Jacot Mar. 3, 1931 2,234,527 Hollingsworth Mar. 11, 1941 

